It's not even officially the start of free agency, but the OKC Thunder already seem to have pulled off the best signing of the summer.
On Friday, NBA insider Shams Charania broke the report that Oklahoma City and big man Isaiah Hartenstein had agreed to have his $28.5 million team option for next season declined with the full intention of re-upping on a new three-year, $75 million pact.
With this move, the Thunder not only managed to find a way to hold onto their beloved, battle-tested starting pivot but also shed over $3 million in committed salary heading into next season.
To the folks at ESPN, this agreed-upon plan deserves nothing shy of an A-grade, with national NBA writer Zach Kram recently arguing that Hartenstein's new $25 million AAV actually "seems like a bargain."
It's hard to argue with such a statement.
Re-signing Isaiah Hartenstein is an inarguable win for Thunder
While he's far from a star in a technical sense, I-Hart has established himself as a true difference-maker for the Thunder throughout his two-year tenure with the team.
From his tremendous board-gobbling abilities that saw him rank 11 in rebounds per game this past year (minimum 40 games played) to his elite rim-protecting skills that had opponents shooting just 52.7 percent at the rim when matched up against him, the ninth-best clip among players with at least 150 shots defended, the 28-year-old is undeniably one of the foundational backbones of this club.
Sure, the recent addition of Aday Mara with the 12 pick in this week's draft may signal that the Thunder are already planning for the long-term state of the five, but, considering they're still in win-now mode and that the young big has suggested he needs time to acclimate to become what OKC wants, retaining Hartenstein is more than logical.
Essentially, it keeps "a nailed-down starter," as Kram put it, in Oklahoma City's title-pushing, first-five unit while also continuing to bring their payroll down toward sub-second-apron levels, which, at this point, is clearly the biggest goal for Sam Presti and company this summer.
Though retaining Hartenstein may ultimately force Lu Dort out of the Sooner State, all things considered, this move by the Thunder should prove to check all the boxes for the organization as they look to chase their second Larry O'Brien Trophy in three years.
Somehow, some way, it seems this storied OKC front office always manages to pull off these kinds of feel-good maneuvers with relative ease.
In Sam Presti we trust!
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